The present invention generally relates to a system and method for harnessing the natural tides of the ocean, in combination with an artificial atoll, to create a sustainable aquaculture and generate both electricity and a supply of biomass that can be harvested. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system of creating an artificial atoll on the continental shelf and utilizing the rising and falling tides of the surrounding ocean to create a natural pump to draw nutrient-rich, cold seawater from the ocean into an enclosed lagoon to stimulate the growth of biomass and generate electricity.
Presently, the world is suffering from a shortage of sustainable energy. Many people have tried to use aspects of the vast potential energy of the ocean but have failed to come up with an economically viable system. One such system, referred to as OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion), which utilizes cold water to generate electricity, has been plagued by storm damage. Additionally, the efficiency of the OTEC system has been limited by the fact that a substantial amount of the energy developed is used in bringing up the denser water from below the ocean surface.
An example of such system is shown in the Mager U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,145. In the '145 patent, an OTEC plant having a pump draws nutrient-rich seawater from a depth of about 500 meters. The cold, deep seawater, in combination with warm surface seawater, is used to drive an OTEC power plant in a manner that is well known. In the '145 patent, the cold seawater is discharged into a natural atoll and the nutrients within the cold seawater are used to enhance the growth of biological life, such as shrimp, contained within the natural atoll.
According to the '145 patent, the marine life can be harvested from within the naturally occurring atoll. In the specific example identified in the '145 patent, the atoll is a naturally occurring coral island that is not completely enclosed. Thus, seawater is able to flow into and out of the atoll, which allows the water in the lagoon to rise and fall with the tides.
In addition to using an OTEC system, other tidal energy harnessing systems have been developed, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,740 and Japanese Patent No. JP 40 212 5975. These systems utilize the natural rising and falling of the ocean tides to perform some type of work and thus harness the energy inherent in the tide movements.
Although the prior art systems attempt to harness the available energy within the ocean, the currently available schemes have generally failed due to the ecological damage caused and the high cost typically involved in the systems. Therefore, a need exists for a system that utilizes the power available within the ocean to both generate electricity and sustain a biomass aquaculture that can be harvested to provide additional sources of either energy or food.